Çağlar Küçükdumlu Reviews Season
Çağlar Küçükdumlu, the 2022 Turkish Drift Champion, looked back on a season that ended with a double championship title, and shared his plans and goals for the new season with our readers.
How did you get into motorsport?
I started in motorsport a little late. I began with amateur karting during my high school years. Later, during my university years, I was captain of the Gazi University Karting Team for four years. During that time we picked up results in many amateur and semi-professional races and introduced a lot of people to go-karting.
Looking from the beginning to today, where do you see yourself?
I have completed four full seasons professionally in drifting, and my individual results over that period were 11th, 8th, 7th and then 1st. In sporting terms, I have developed steadily. In sponsorship, I have had the chance to work with many corporate brands. In the media, perhaps I could have achieved greater recognition.
How did the 2022 season go? What were your goals, and did you reach them?
My goal for 2022 was to finish the season in the top four of the drivers' championship. Going into the final race, I was third. The final race was run in heavy rain, which wiped out the power advantages of the cars. Luck was on my side too: I eliminated the drivers who were running first and second in the event, and we took the win and finished the season as champions. In the Teams' Championship, we had finished second two years in a row, so this year the target was the title. Together with my team-mate Reza Fahim, we achieved that goal as well.
In the TRNC, you faced a different track and foreign drivers for the first time. What was that first experience like?
The Cyprus event gave us serious experience, both in terms of car mechanics and driving. Going out on track back to back with names like James Deane and Duene Mcgeever, who are regarded as among the best drift drivers in the world, was a wonderful experience for us. Before the event we strengthened our car, taking it from around 500 horsepower to 680, but our running gear couldn't take that power and we suffered four axle failures. The first thing we did on returning from Cyprus was to improve the car in that area, but we didn't get the results we wanted in Cyprus.
What are your goals for the 2023 season?
My goal is to become the first driver to win the drift title twice in Turkey. I want to set a record that will take three years to be broken again and make my name a permanent part of the drift community. Of course, in motorsport, and especially in drifting, the durability of the car is a very important factor. Let's see, I hope everything goes the way we want. In the Teams' Championship, we want to win once again with Reza Fahim.
What is the goal you want to reach in this sport?
My goal, with good sponsor support, is to compete for a whole season in a European championship series such as Driftmasters or Driftkings.
Do you have any ideas you think would be useful for the development of motorsport?
I have a few ideas of my own, but I think the first and most important thing is bringing motorsport to spectators. For that, events need to be prepared as sporting competitions presented to the public, not for the private enjoyment of a small group. In 2021, we saw 10,000 tickets sold for a special drift event held in Istanbul. If official events are organised in this way, it will become much easier for competitors to find sponsors. 
Which was your best race of the 2022 season?
Round 3 of the Turkish Drift Championship, run on the Körfez inner circuit.
Which was your worst race?
Round 2 of the Turkish Drift Championship, run on the Körfez outer circuit.
Which is your favourite track?
İzmir Pınarbaşı
